BATON ROUGE — If you ask Madison King, she’ll tell you it was over for her after the interview portion of last weekend’s 2016 Louisiana Association of Fairs and Festivals Queen of Queens Pageant.

The winner would not come from St. John the Baptist Parish. Or so she thought.

“I was very surprised to win, because, to be completely honest, I thought I bombed the interview,” King said Monday, still basking in the glow of a statewide victory. “I ended up winning the interview award and winning the evening gown award.”

King, 20, a LaPlace native and Louisiana State University mass communications student, was crowned Queen of Queens Saturday.

She competed in the pageant against 68 other Louisiana pageant winners, and her victory marked the first time a Miss Andouille Queen won the Queen of Queens Pageant.

Despite King’s humbleness, Queen of Queens Pageant Director Katelyn Yates said the judges found the Andouille Queen to be in a class of her own, describing her as well rounded with a spunky personality.

“She was passionate,” Yates said. “The judges were very impressed with her knowledge about fairs and festivals and the tourism industry. Being that fairs and festivals are part of the tourism industry and it’s our No. 1 job-creating industry in the state, they felt she would be able to represent our organization across our state really well this year.”

The first question during the interview portion judges asked King was to describe her personality. She followed that up by explaining the importance of tourism, fairs and festivals. After giving her definitions of success and class, King detailed what her goals would be and how she would balance her time if she was crowned Queens of Queens.

There were five judges and she spent three minutes with each. The ace performance set the stage for a wonderful victory and historic showing for St. John the Baptist Parish.

Joined by her parents, friends, former Miss Andouille Queens and the current Teen Andouille Queen, there was also Andouille Pageant Director Dana Milioto.

As pageant director for the past six years, Milioto said the reigning Queen routinely represents the Andouille Festival. Until this year; however, the crown had never come back to St. John Parish.

“Every year we always hope for top 15 or top 5, but historically it has never happened for St. John Parish,” Milioto said. “For it to happen for us this year was a completely surreal experience. I’m not a crier, but I can tell you I probably shed a few tears that night.”

Milioto said King’s large support group, which included Parish President Natalie Robottom and Parish CAO Laverne Saulny Friday night, demonstrated the team approach adopted each year to turn in a successful pageant and festival.

For her part, King was moved by the Queen of Queens crown and the support she received from St. John and beyond.

“I’m touched,” she said. “Before this weekend, I never knew how many people thought of me that way. I think I really did leave a good impression with a lot of people. I’m learning and traveling a lot more. It really is a different experience, especially traveling as a festival queen.

“I never found (the pageant) to be intimidating. I was very calm and collected the entire weekend. I didn’t look at it as competition but as another experience.”